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Lincoln - University of Nebraska athletic teams added a strong chapter to their long-standing traditions with 13 top-25 national team finishes, while a Big 12-leading six teams captured seven conference titles across 23 sports during the 2004-05 season.
The Nebraska baseball team capped the 2004-05 campaign with the best season in school history, advancing to the College World Series in Omaha for the third time in the past five seasons, and winning the school’s first-ever CWS game. Along with sweeping the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, the baseball team also shattered the school’s attendance records, including seven of the top 10 single-game attendance marks in school history. Nebraska’s final average home attendance of 4,983 also shattered the school record.
The women’s bowling team captured its second straight NCAA title, the first two NCAA crowns in the sport’s history, while the men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to win three Big 12 Conference titles and add three top-10 finishes at the national championships. The Husker women’s gymnastics team added a league crown of its own while advancing to the NCAA Super Six Finals for the sixth time in the past eight years.
The Nebraska volleyball team continued its storied tradition by winning a Big 12 title and advancing to the round of eight in the NCAA Tournament before finishing with a 30-2 overall record. The women’s rifle team matched its best finish in school history by placing third at the NCAA Championships after winning the Great America Rifle Conference crown.
The Nebraska soccer team made its eighth NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the past nine seasons, while the softball team made its 11th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The wrestling team also contributed a top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships.
The Husker women’s tennis team produced the best season in school history by earning its first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships, while the NU women’s basketball team continued its building process with its second straight postseason appearance and the biggest win in school history with a victory over eventual national champion Baylor.
Overall 13 of Nebraska’s 23 varsity sports earned top-25 national finishes at the NCAA Championships or in the national polls. Individually, 37 Nebraska student-athletes captured 48 All-America awards in their respective sports, including three Huskers who claimed four individual national titles.
"Overall, I think we finished the year very strong, especially with the outstanding success of our baseball program," Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson said. "We had a Big 12-leading six teams win league titles in the strongest conference in college athletics, and we had teams perform well in the NCAA Championships as well. I think the way we finished the year will help us build momentum into next season. I am excited about the future of our athletic programs in competition, but I am just as excited about the continued success of our outstanding academic programs."
Spring Season Highlights
The Nebraska baseball team capped the Huskers’ solid 2004-05 campaign with the best season in school history. Big 12 Coach of the Year Mike Anderson led the Huskers to Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, along with an NCAA Regional crown and a Super Regional series victory over four-time national champion Miami at Hawks Field. Seven of the top 10 single-game crowds in school history watched the Huskers roll into the College World Series for the third time in the past five years and win their first-ever CWS game before finishing with a school-record 57 victories.
Two-time Big 12 Player-of-the-Year Alex Gordon put an exclamation point on his stellar collegiate career by winning the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, the Xanthus Dick Howser Award and the Baseball America’s National Player of the Year award, along with being chosen as the No. 2 player overall in June’s Major League Baseball draft. A school-record four Huskers went in the draft’s top 10 rounds. The Huskers also proved that the future of the program was in good hands as Johnny Dorn (Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year), Joba Chamberlain (Big 12 Newcomer Pitcher of the Year) and Andy Gerch (NCAA Lincoln Regional MVP) were all first-year players for NU.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams made strong pushes at NCAA titles at the outdoor meet, with the women finishing in eighth place, while the men managed an 18th-place finish. Individually, Anne Shadle produced an unprecedented double at the indoor and outdoor meets by winning the women’s mile run at the NCAA Indoor Championships before capturing the women’s 1,500-meter race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The pair of national titles capped an impressive career for the senior from South Sioux City, Neb. On the men’s side, Dmitrijs Milkevics captured an NCAA Outdoor championship in the 800-meter run. The native of Riga, Latvia became the first Husker in history to win the men’s 800-meter event at the NCAA meet.
The women’s tennis team enjoyed the best year in the history of the program by advancing to its first-ever NCAA Championships. The Huskers finished third in the Big 12 standings with a school-best 19-3 overall record. Gitte Ostermann capped one of the best seasons in school history by earning a trip to the NCAA Singles Championships for the second straight year, after being named the Midwest Regional Senior Player of the Year. Ostermann joined fellow senior Katie Garcia on the All-Big 12 squad, whilc Coach Scott Jacobson was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
The softball team made its 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and hosted a regional for the third straight season at Bowlin Stadium. Anne Steffan earned third-team All-America honors while Ashley DeBuhr amassed the second-highest single-season strikeout total in school history.
The women’s golf team made a move up the leaderboard at the Big 12 Championships, while true freshman Elli Brown showed that she could be a future conference contender by finishing in the top 20 at the Big 12 Championships. Senior Merynn Ito closed an outstanding career by advancing to the NCAA Central Regional Championships.
Winter Season Highlights
The winter sports season brought Nebraska its 22nd national team title in school history, as the Husker women’s bowling team captured its second straight NCAA crown. After guiding NU to the first-ever NCAA title in the sport in 2003-04, Coach Bill Straub led the program to its seventh national title overall and fourth team championship since bowling became a varsity sport at Nebraska during the 1997-98 academic year.
The Nebraska women’s gymnastics team captured its seventh Big 12 title in the past nine years. Richelle Simpson, who closed her stellar career as one of the most accomplsihed gymnasts in school history, won her second Big 12 all-around title before being named the NCAA South Central Region Co-Gymnast of the Year. Unfortunately, the 2003 NCAA All-Around champion suffered an injury during South Central Regional competition and was unable to compete at nationals. Despite the absence of Simpson, Coach Dan Kendig led the Huskers back to the NCAA Super Six Finals for the sixth time in eight years. Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Emily Parsons earned the first All-America honors of her career, along with freshman Desire’ Sniatynski and sophomore Kristi Esposito. Simpson, who was chosen as the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, won the program’s first AAI American Award and was awarded NCAA and Big 12 Conference Postgraduate Scholarships to conclude an impressive collegiate career both in the gym and in the classroom.
The women’s indoor track and field team raced to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships after cruising to the Big 12 indoor title at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track. Nebraska natives Anne Shadle and Ashley Selig powered the women’s squad by each capturing NCAA Indoor titles. Shadle raced to a title in the women’s mile run, while Selig established herself as one of the top all-around female athletes in school history by capturing a national title in the pentathlon. Priscilla Lopes added a runner-up showing in the women’s 60-meter hurdles at the indoor meet, along with another All-America finish in the in the 60-meter dash.
The men’s indoor track squad also enjoyed a strong showing with a seventh-place NCAA finish after powering its way to the Big 12 indoor title. Individually, seven Husker men earned All-America honors indoors, led by runner-up finishes from Dusty Stamer (60-meter dash) and Dusty Jonas (high jump). Overall, 10 NU track and field athletes combined for 11 All-America awards at the NCAA Indoor competition.
The women’s rifle team equalled its best NCAA finish in school history by finishing third at the NCAA Championships, just two points away from a national title. The Huskers also captured the Great America Rifle Conference crown. With a core group of young shooters that includes four returning All-Americans, the rifle team will set its sights even higher next season.
The wrestling team forged to a No. 2 national dual ranking during the year and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. The Huskers finished 19th at the NCAA Championships, while B.J. Padden (5th, 197 pounds) and Travis Pascoe (6th, 184 pounds) earned All-America honors.
The men’s gymnastics squad advanced to the NCAA Qualifier with two Huskers earning All-America honors. Sophomore Paul Chumreonlert finished fifth on the pommel horse, while freshman Stephen Tetrault added a fifth-place finish on vault to give NU a solid, young nucleus for the future.
The women’s swimming and diving program continued its rise back to the national stage with another solid year in the pool. The Huskers produced one of the best dual records in school history with an 8-1 mark. The Huskers sent one swimmer (Lauren Bailey) and one diver (Amie Buoy) to the NCAA Championships. Bailey competed in three events at nationals, while Buoy particpated in both the one and three-meter springboard competitions. Bailey and Buoy also powered the Huskers to a strong third-place showing at the Big 12 Championships, the school’s best Big 12 finish since 2001.
The women’s basketball team continued its climb in the Big 12 by earning its second straight trip to the postseason while finishing in the top half in the Big 12 standings for the first time in five years. The Huskers went 8-8 in the league to finish in sixth place, including the biggest win in school history with a 103-99 triple overtime win over eventual national champion Baylor at the Devaney Center in January. The Huskers also increased their attendance by 30 percent on the season, to rank among the top 30 nationally. Kiera Hardy became just the third sophomore in school history to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors, while Jelena Spiric added Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year accolades.
The men’s basketball team finished with a .500 or better record for the second straight season, including a 7-9 mark in Big 12 Conference play for its best league showing since the 1998-99 season. Newcomer Joe McCray set the Big 12 freshman record for three-pointers made, while setting the Nebraska freshman scoring average record on his way to honorable-mention Freshman All-America honors from Rivals.com. Aleks Maric added to Nebraska’s young and talented nucleus for the future by setting the Nebraska freshman rebounding mark.
Fall Season Highlights
The Nebraska volleyball program added to its storied tradition by advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th consecutive season. NU advanced to the round of eight of the tournament, after capturing the Big 12 title and finishing with a 30-2 overall record. The Huskers also finished in AVCA Top 10 for the fifth consecutive season. Three Huskers earned All-America honors, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sarah Pavan, Melissa Elmer and Jennifer Saleumua, the first time in school history that a trio of Husker underclassmen were named to an All-America team.
The Husker soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year and finished with a 14-9 overall record. The soccer team also produced its ninth straight top-25 finish and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the eighth time in the past nine seasons, while sophomore Brittany Timko earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Year honors.
The Nebraska football team closed the season with a 5-6 overall record under first-year coach Bill Callahan. The Huskers’ season was highlight by a road victory at Pittsburgh, which finished the season ranked in the top 25 nationally. Senior linebacker Barrett Ruud capped a strong career by earning third-team All-America honors and finishing as Nebraska’s all-time leading tackler.